City Council meeting overview package for November 10, 2025

Peterborough, ON – City Council received presentations from residents and external organizations that receive City funding, during a General Committee meeting as part of the City’s 2026 Budget process on Monday, November 10, 2025.

Council heard from 13 public delegations during its meeting on a range of topics, including ideas for new sources of revenue, transit, library services, addictions treatment, policing, arts and culture, and the downtown.

Before the public delegations, Council received a presentation for information from Peterborough Police Service on its 2026 Budget.

The City’s Draft 2026 Budget was presented to Council and publicly posted at peterborough.ca/budget on November 3, 2025. The 2026 Budget is anticipated to be adopted on December 8, 2025.

Council is expected to review and discuss the Draft 2026 Budget during its meeting on November 17 and 18, 2025. The meeting is open to the public to attend and can be watched live at peterborough.ca/WatchCouncil. There are no public delegations during this meeting.

The City of Peterborough’s Draft 2026 Budget currently reflects an operating budget increase of 3.42%, a 2.18% increase for infrastructure and capital needs, a 0.53% increase in the sanitary sewer fee, and a 1.79% increase related to external agencies that are funded by the City.

The 3.42% increase in the operating budget would maintain existing levels of service.

When combined, the 7.92% all-inclusive rate increase, including the municipal, education, and sanitary sewer surcharge rates, would equal about $34.16 per month for the median or typical residential property.

The Draft 2026 Budget includes $434.2 million in spending on municipal services and $140.5 million in capital investments.

The $434.2 million is funded by revenues of $233.0 million from non-municipal property tax sources such as user fees, grants from other governments, recoveries, interest from investments, and service charges, resulting in a tax requirement of $201.2 million.

Capital projects include items such as the police station renovation and expansion, Lansdowne Street West between Spillsbury Drive and Clonsilla Avenue, Wastewater Treatment Plant revitalization, extending a taxiway at the Peterborough Regional Airport, road paving, purchasing transit buses, and water service distribution infrastructure.

After the printing of the Draft 2026 Budget book, the following changes were made based on updated information or Council direction:

• The City received updated information on benefits costs for employees, which were reduced by $665,000 from what was included in the draft budget documents.
• The City was informed that its Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund grant will be $269,000 more than anticipated.
• On November 3, Council awarded RFP48-25 for shelter services and daytime drop-in program to One City, which added $1.12 million to the Draft 2026 Budget.

The current proposed all-inclusive rate change was updated to reflect the new information.

Following Council’s review of the Draft 2026 Budget, the Mayor is expected to consider the recommendations from Council and table the Mayor’s 2026 Budget for the City of Peterborough at the Council meeting on Monday, December 8, 2025. It is anticipated that the budget will be adopted on the same date. There is another opportunity for registered public delegations to speak at this meeting. To register as a delegation, visit peterborough.ca/delegations or call 705-742-7777 ext. 1820.

The 2026 Budget process started in April 2025 with a community survey on budget priorities and a series of public meetings in June 2025.

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